Ryan Nicol
Lauren Baer, the Democratic congressional candidate in Florida’s 18th Congressional District, is out with a new ad accusing her Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, of ignoring the concerns of the district.
Baer’s ad features three supporters spotlighted in previous campaign ads. The new spot, titled “Listen,” contains new commentary from those supporters about why they back Baer in supporting the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Mast voted in the House to repeal the law last year, though those efforts failed in the Senate.
“It’s just knowing that if I get sick, I’m not gonna get bankrupt,” says Mel Liebman, a Baer supporter and owner of The Clock Shop of Fort Pierce.
“Brian Mast has taken drug and insurance money and voted to make your health care premiums higher…,” the narrator adds.
“Makes me angry,” Liebman interjects.
“…and voted to gut protections for pre-existing conditions,” the narrator continues.
“And I begged, and said, ‘please don’t do this,'” says Veronica “Ronnie” Ciaramella, a breast cancer survivor who lobbied mass to oppose repeal of the ACA.
“He hurt my family,” adds “Ava,” another Baer supporter whose daughter suffers from chronic epilepsy.
“The Palm Beach Post endorsed Lauren Baer because she will protect our health care,” the narrator notes.
“She is gonna listen to me,” Ciaramella says.
“I think she’ll be excellent,” Liebman says.
“She’s going to listen to her constituents and not people who are giving her money,” Ava says.
The Mast campaign pushed back against criticism of his vote in a statement.
“Under Obamacare, insurance premiums have more than doubled and both St. Lucie County and Martin County are down to only one insurer on the individual exchange, yet Lauren Baer has said the bill didn’t go far enough,” said Brad Stewart, a spokesperson for Mast.
“She supports a massive expansion of government-controlled health care that experts say could jeopardize Medicare for seniors who have paid into the program their whole life. This begs the question: why would we double down on a failed policy that has caused prices to skyrocket and eliminated individual choice?”
Recent fundraising reports showed Baer with a strong third quarter, bringing it $1.7 million. That topped the incumbent Mast by more than $700,000. Despite those strong numbers, election analysts see Mast as the favorite in the race.
